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ESPN: Rookie report: Gavin Escobar

I never heard anyone with the Cowboys say they were going to do anything different with the 2 TE set that they've been using. I read plenty of speculation that they would but Hanna has sure hands if they wanted to and this offensive line needs him to block. I "guessed" Escobar would be used as a red zone weapon and was wrong. Thats twice this year. I think Garrett has tried to use rookies sparingly if he could, the same way he did Hanna who didn't get but one target in his first 9-10 games and got 3-4 per game in the last 4-5 games. It's like the media and many fans can't give a guy enough time to fail before they start shovelin the dirt on him. There just aren't that many college kids you can hand a million dollars to and throw em into the spectacle that every Cowboys game is and expect them to light it up.

that's too crazy to work for someone like garrett. SMH. why can't we just run simple routes and etc. How about design plays to beat the defense instead of relying on the wr's/te talent and option routes. We run too many option routes. Without the qb and wr on the same page this offense doesn't work.

You can tell there is talent there. But i have no confidence in a coaching staff who cant figure out how to create a competent offense gameplan for its true 11 starters let alone for sub packages like the 12 package.

that's too crazy to work for someone like garrett. SMH. why can't we just run simple routes and etc. How about design plays to beat the defense instead of relying on the wr's/te talent and option routes. We run too many option routes. Without the qb and wr on the same page this offense doesn't work.

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Option routes might be a problem. I've seen receivers end up in the same area of the field at times. I think their "option" might be taking them to these spots.

I wonder if it's because we have all of our receivers reading the coverage of the defense and nobody really knows what anyone is for sure doing.

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Maybe. I don't have the slightest idea. On one of the first offensive plays we lined up strong left with an extra tackle and a Y with a move TE in the backfield and we lost a yard on a simple dive off that strong side tackle(s). Why you say??? Because two tackles blocked down on one guy and left a LB free after a chip. He makes the tackle and you have Witten, Parnell, Smith, and Hanna blocking over there. They didn't even block the LB on the LOS. I can't talk about this because my BP will sky rocket.

I have no idea why they don't have him on 1 side and Dez on the other. Just throw it to the one with single coverage or the one being covered by the lesser defender.

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This is perhaps the most frustrating part and is entirely the fault of the coaching staff. I'd say this in itself should get someone fired.

You have a guy who may not be what you had hoped but he's still big and can still catch. So he can't take snaps every single down. That sucks for sure but he can damn sure line up and be taller than the guy across from him.

The fact that he hasn't been at least a moderate threat in the redzone is fault of the coaching staff.

Honestly, if he isn't ready to contribute based on size and catching ability alone..........how in the blue hell was ever drafted in the first place? Not just in the 2nd round, but in any round?

Can't block so can't be used consistently. Not quick by any means so not a real receiving threat in between the 20s. Now you're saying he can't be utilized for his size alone?

I have no idea why they don't have him on 1 side and Dez on the other. Just throw it to the one with single coverage or the one being covered by the lesser defender.

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That's what I thought they'd do with him, too. Though, to be fair, we haven't really been having scoring in the red zone as it is.

I think the guy's looked good in his limited targets. Slow and tall with big, soft hands. Blocking's another issue, but it's not surprise since Stephen Jones said as much about getting him stronger and being a player they thought could develop as a blocker and a Y receiver in a season or two.

It shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone, Archer included, that Hana is getting snaps ahead of Escobar at this point. That was known at the time the pick was made, too.

Well, I thought they'd use this guy more this year. So I'll eat a little crow but not a lot. He's TBD. I have to say I'm not pleased with his contributions this year and that I put on him more than the failure of the 12 and 13. (I should say the failure of the offense)

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Hey, look at that we agree on something. The Cowboys should use him more, esp in the red zone. HE may not be a good blocker yet, but he can catch the ball.

Drafting Escobar was just pure Cowboy logic. You are switching schemes, you dont have a safety worth a damn and your defensive linemen are all around 30 with injury issues so you draft a backup to the most dependable player on the team. A guy that is so weak that he wont even come close to making an impact until he discovers what a weight bench and squat rack looks like. Comical.

Escobar may turn out to be worth the second round pick we used on him, but up to this point, he hasn't been worth it. It is frustrating to see a second round pick used on a position that wasn't a glaring position of need and then not see that guy contribute to any reasonable degree, or see us really even try to get any production out of that pic. We could have taken a guard or a defensive lineman with that second round pick, and if that had been the case it would be reasonable to assume that that player would have gotten a lot of meaningful snaps at least as a rotational player this year.

What he's done: Escobar has been active for every game but he has yet to play more than 22 offensive snaps in any of them. He has played double-digit snaps just twice in the last eight games. He has four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, but he has gone five games without a catch.
What he's done: Escobar has been active for every game but he has yet to play more than 22 offensive snaps in any of them. He has played double-digit snaps just twice in the last eight games. He has four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, but he has gone five games without a catch.

Season outlook: When he was picked in the second round, the Cowboys touted their move to a two-tight end offense that would be different than the experiments of years past with Anthony Fasano and Martellus Bennett. While "12 personnel," is the staple grouping, James Hanna has taken the bulk of the snaps behind Jason Witten.